2 days plus 1: Sovereignty and spectacle in the Senate

It was on September 16, 1991 (or some 35 years ago) when the Philippine Senate made a historic stand by voting 12–11 to reject the RP-US Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Peace, effectively ending nearly a century of American military presence on Philippine soil. It was on that date that the country heard the speeches of the “Magnificent 12” led by Senator Jovito Salonga.

I remember such distinguished statesmen as Agapito Aquino, Juan Ponce Enrile, Joseph Estrada, Teofisto Guingona, Sotero Laurel, Ernesto Maceda, Raul Manglapus, Orlando Mercado, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Rene Saguisag and Victor Ziga. I am listing their names here in alphabetical order because history recorded them as belonging to different political parties - Liberal Party, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban, Nacionalista Party, Grand Alliance for Democracy and Partido ng Masang Pilipino.

I vividly remember, more than anything else, the climate of September 16, 1991. It was dramatic scene anchored by Salonga’s address. It was articulated in polished English, grounded in clear legal reasoning, and fiercely nationalistic, stripped of petty partisan color. That was the Salonga whom the electorate had placed at number 1 in the 1987 elections.

Fast forward to July 14, 2026. It was the day when the Senate was on the fifth trial date of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. It was the first day that Senator Robin Padilla, whom we elected as number 1 senator in the 2019 elections, spoke. While I would rank those two dates (in 1991 and 2026) of equal importance to our country, I have reason to say that Padilla messed up the significance of accountability. In his initial interjection (by the way I do not quite agree in the use of this word), he opened up with Arabic statements which I did not understand and proceeded to talk about his time in prison in Tagalog. That was completely out of tune not partly because I do not speak the language. The tale of his imprisonment had no bearing to whether the vice president is unfit to hold government office or not. Although if his intention was to expose his being granted absolute pardon by the former president as some curious rationale for acquitting Sara of all charges, he succeeded. In that case, his expected vote is purely personal and totally has nothing to do with serving the public.

Here is an aside, a rather insignificant observation. Padilla reportedly learned his Arabic while in jail serving sentence. In fact, he adopted the Muslim name Abdul Aziz. Maybe it is by reason of his faith, that he recites Arabic prayers, Islamic phrases during Senate sessions, as he did in the impeachment hearing thus far concluded.

Here is one day more. I recently came upon a damning exposition of Padilla’s perceived loyalty to China. To hide such Chinese loyalty, he unwittingly showed his lack of understanding of our Constitution. In his November publication, he blamed the Philippine Constitution as containing restrictions to the joint oil and gas exploration attempts between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea. If Salonga were only alive, he could have lectured Padilla on such unforgivable error. It was Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, who took the reverent position of exposing Padilla. The admiral could have used the phrase "the tongue of the ignorant is dangerous" for it captures a timeless truth about how words without wisdom can cause harm. But Tarriela sharply countered Padilla's stance. He stated: “If there is anyone to blame for why we cannot utilize our own oil and gas, it is not our Constitution, but China.”